Retrospective path analysis

ABSTRACT

To determine whether a mobile device has entered a geo-fenced region, a first geo-location of the mobile device at a first time is identified. Also, a second geo-location of the mobile device at a second time is identified. A potential travel path of the mobile device is determined between the first geo-location and the second geo-location. The potential travel path is in at least two dimensions. A determination is made as to whether the potential travel path intersects with the predetermined geo-fenced region. If the potential travel path intersects the predetermined geo-fenced region by an amount that satisfies an intersection requirement, a determination is made that the mobile device entered the predetermined geo-fenced region.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/827,316 filed Nov. 30, 2017, which is a Continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/608,720 filed May 30, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No.9,838,842, which is a Continuation of International Application No.PCT/IB2015/002299, filed on Nov. 16, 2015, which claims the benefit ofAustralian Provisional Application No. 2014904898, filed on Dec. 3,2014, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties.

FIELD OF ART

The field of the disclosure is location determination and in particulargeo-fence entry based on location determination.

BACKGROUND

A geo-fence is a virtual area defined by co-ordinates of a geographicmapping system the shape of the geo-fence is not limited by terrain,buildings or other boundaries physical or political.

Determination of a geographic location (geo-location) using the samemapping system that is used to define the geo-fence can be achievedusing a multitude of mechanisms. By way of example, one such mechanismis the Global Positioning System (GPS). GPS includes multiple satellitesand a sophisticated array of ground stations and controls to broadcastcoded radio frequencies that when received and decoded by a purposebuilt electronic device can output time and location within the GPSgeographic mapping system. GPS is but one of many such geo-locatingsystems.

It is possible, having decided on a geo-location system and theassociated geographic framework to adapt the geo-location determined byone system to another but this is not typical.

The word geo-location can also be determined by latitude and longitudecoordinates of a particular location and may also include altitude.Terms and definitions like latitude, longitude and altitude arestandardized by ISO/IEC 19762-5:2008.

There will first be a predetermined location (as defined by a determinedlatitude and longitude pair) such as at a shop, place of business,toll-way entrance, event entrance, etc. and in the simplest version of ageo-fence, a single radial distance is used to define a circularboundary of the geo-fence. Thus all the latitudes and longitude pairsthat exist within the circular area defined by the geo-fence are known.Entry to or proximity to such a virtual fence can then be determined bymatching the determined latitude and longitude pair of the device whichdetermines its location with all the pairs within the geo-fenced area,and if there is a match the device is within the geo-fence.

The detection of entry into a geo-fenced area can be used to alert theuser of the mobile device that they are at that time likely to be closeto the shop, place of business, entered the toll-way, or entered theevent, etc. This information is potentially valuable to the user andparticularly valuable to the shop, business, toll-way and eventorganizer in numerous ways some of which will be helpful and most ofwhich will be or economic worth to the user or business.

There is much more to the process than simply described above but theprinciple should be apparent.

The shape of the fence is typically determined by the intended use ofthe geo-fence and the related function or result of detection of entryto the geo-fenced area.

Geo-fencing as a technique is used to understand if a device has enteredany previously determined geographic location. The prerequisites for adevice to locate itself are as follows:

A device with the capability to use one of many methods to determine itslocation.A device with the ability to maintain a log of predeterminedareas/lines/points, expressed as a combination of coordinates as definedby a standardized geodetic system or framework—i.e. WGS84 ellipsoid.A device with the capability to calculate and ascertain if a locationthat has been established for the device, is located within or without apredetermined area and communicate this awareness or perform actionsbased on it.

Most modern computer devices and particularly those that have mobiletelephonic capabilities will have a location determination capabilitywhich is used by one or more of the applications on the mobile devicesporadically, at defined, or undefined intervals. FIG. 1 illustrates theprior process of mobile device determination of entry of the mobiledevice into a predetermined geo-fenced area.

FIG. 1 depicts a prior art approach to geo-fencing where a predeterminedlocation is identified as a latitude/longitude (herein referred to as alat/long pair for brevity) is depicted as lat/long pair (lt0, lg0) forexample, 34.9290° S, 138.6010° E, which for the purposes of the example,is a city council office location. The calculation of the lat/longenvelope of a circle about the lat/long pair having a radius ‘r’ isnon-trivial since it is necessary to accommodate the WGS84 ellipsoidsphere assumed to apply to the curvature of the earth but for relativelyshort distances (say less than 1 kilometre then a flat earthapproximation will suffice) and in this case 100 meters is the chosenradius r. However, there is more than one software program that willprovide the information required to allow for a determination as towhether a particular lat/long pair determined by a mobile device lieswithin the envelope of the radius of the origin predetermined locationlat/long pair of (lt₀, lg₀).

As indicted in FIG. 1, the first time a geolocation of the lat/long ofthe mobile device is determined and the lat/long pair is (lt₁,lg₁) andthe second time a geolocation of the lat/long of the mobile device andthe lat/long pair is (lt₂,lg₂).

A comparison of the first and second lat/long pairs with any of thelat/long pairs within the 100 meter radius would not find anycoincidence even though the mobile device passed within that radius.

SUMMARY

In a broad aspect of the embodiments there is a method, computer programproduct, and system for geo-location determination of the entry by amobile device to a predetermined geo-fenced region defined in at leasttwo dimensions. The mobile device includes a geo-location determinationmechanism and to determine whether the mobile device has entered thegeo-fenced region a first geo-location of the mobile device at a firsttime is identified. The first geo-location is in at least two dimensionsand is determined using the geo-location determination mechanism. Thefirst geo-location has a first related error of determination for eachof the at least two dimensions of the first geo-location. The firstgeo-location and the first related error are expressed in apredetermined measure.

Also, a second geo-location of the mobile device at a second time isidentified. The second geo-location is in at least two dimensions and isdetermined using the geo-location determination mechanism. The secondgeo-location has a second related error of determination for each of theat least two dimensions of the second geo-location. The secondgeo-location and the second related error are expressed in thepredetermined measure.

A potential travel path of the mobile device is determined between thefirst geo-location and the second geo-location using the first andsecond related errors. The potential travel path is in at least twodimensions. A determination is made as to whether the potential travelpath intersects with the predetermined geo-fenced region. If thepotential travel path intersects the predetermined geo-fenced region byan amount that satisfies an intersection requirement, a determination ismade that the mobile device entered the predetermined geo-fenced region.

Details concerning computers, computer networking, software programming,telecommunications and the like may at times not be specificallyillustrated, as such were not considered necessary to obtain a completeunderstanding nor to limit a person skilled in the art in performing theembodiments, are considered present nevertheless as such are consideredto be within the skills of persons of ordinary skill in the art.

A detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments is providedbelow along with accompanying figures that illustrate, by way ofexample, the principles of the embodiments. The scope of the embodimentsis limited only by the appended claims and the embodiments encompassnumerous alternatives, modifications, and equivalents. For the purposeof example, numerous specific details are set forth in the followingdescription to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. Thepresent embodiments may be practiced according to the claims withoutsome or all of these specific details. For the purpose of clarity,technical material that is known in the technical fields related to theembodiments has not been described in detail so that the presentembodiments are not unnecessarily obscured.

Although the foregoing embodiments have been described in some detailfor purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent thatcertain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope ofthe appended claims. It should be noted, that there are many alternativeways of implementing both the process and apparatus of the presentembodiments.

Throughout this specification and the claims that follow unless thecontext requires otherwise, the words ‘comprise’ and ‘include’ andvariations such as ‘comprising’ and ‘including’ will be understood toimply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not theexclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

The reference to any background or prior art in this specification isnot, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form ofsuggestion that such background or prior art forms part of the commongeneral knowledge.

“Software,” as used herein, includes but is not limited to one or morecomputer readable and/or executable instructions that cause a computeror other electronic device to perform functions, actions, and/or behavein a desired manner. The instructions may be embodied in various formssuch as routines, algorithms, modules, or programs including separateapplications or code from dynamically linked libraries. Software mayalso be implemented in various forms such as a stand-alone program, afunction call, a servlet, an applet, and an application, instructionsstored in a memory, part of an operating system or other type ofexecutable instructions. It will be appreciated by one of ordinaryskilled in the art that the form of software is dependent on, forexample, requirements of a desired application, the environment it runson, and/or the desires of a designer/programmer or the like.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signalsmay be represented using any of a variety of technologies andtechniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information,signals, bits, symbols, and chips may be referenced throughout the abovedescription may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagneticwaves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or anycombination thereof.

Those of skill in the art would further appreciate that the variousillustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm stepsdescribed in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may beimplemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinationsof both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware andsoftware, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits,and steps have been described above generally in terms of theirfunction. Whether such function is implemented as hardware or softwaredepends upon the particular application and design constraints imposedon the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the describedfunction in varying ways for each particular application, but suchimplementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing adeparture from the scope of the present embodiments.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with theembodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in asoftware module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two.For a hardware implementation, processing may be implemented within oneor more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signalprocessors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs),programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors,other electronic units designed to perform the functions describedherein, or a combination thereof. Software modules, also known ascomputer programs, computer codes, or instructions, may contain a numbera number of source code or object code segments or instructions, and mayreside in any computer readable medium such as a RAM, flash memory, ROM,EPROM, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM orany other form of computer readable medium. In the alternative, thecomputer readable medium may be integral to the processor. The processorand the computer readable medium may reside in an ASIC or relateddevice. The software codes may be stored in a memory unit and executedby a processor. The memory unit may be implemented within the processoror external to the processor, in which case it can be communicativelycoupled to the processor via various means as is known in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The disclosed embodiments have other advantages and features which willbe more readily apparent from the detailed description, the appendedclaims, and the accompanying figures (or drawings). A brief introductionof the figures is below.

FIG. 1 depicts a prior art example of a geo-location technique.

FIG. 2 depicts a pictorial representation of two location determinationsaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 depicts a top view of a pictorial two-dimensional representationof a mobile device geo-location and the geo-fence according to oneembodiment.

FIGS. 4a and 4b depict an illustration of a two-dimensional side viewaspect of the error of location determination according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustration of the effect of assuming that the mobiledevice could possibly be in a location within an illustrated boundaryaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 depicts a volume between two times according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 depicts a volume between two times where the associated error ofdetermination changes according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 8a, 8b and 8c depict the 2 dimensional and 3 dimensionalintersection to three different degrees of a possible path with ageo-fenced region according to one embodiment.

FIG. 9 depicts one form of a data packet including the output from a GPSchip representative of a location and error determination of the GPSchip according to one embodiment.

FIG. 10 depicts a travel path of a mobile device according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 11 depicts potential travel paths of a mobile device according toone embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating a process of determining whethera mobile device pass through a predetermined area or across apredetermine line according to one embodiment.

FIG. 13 depicts an indication provided by a mobile device according toone embodiment.

FIG. 14 depicts a three dimensional representation of a possible path ofa mobile between two determined locations according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The methods described in this specification are a retrospective pathanalysis because the method analyses a created path between twolocations of a mobile device to determine if the mobile enters orentered a geo-fenced region. The mobile device will be capable of makinga location determination using one or more of the available locationdetermination techniques available to that device where eachdetermination has a respective accuracy of determination, then based onthe determined location at two intervals of time the possible path isdetermined (which includes the possible error) between the determinedlocations and which can then be compared with a predetermined geo-fencedregion to analyse whether there was an intersection of the possible pathwith the geo-fenced region. It is also advantageous to make the analysisdetermine within a predetermined certainly whether the intersectionoccurred by, in one example, determining whether the percentage ofintersection is greater than a predetermined amount.

When referring to a device having location determination techniques andassociated hardware it would be typical that the device is a smartphone(this term is often used in this specification). However, any devicehaving a self-contained power supply and a location determinationtechnique available to it with its applicable predetermined accuracy isintended to be covered, so that by way of example, the device may bededicated to a transportable container, the device may be part of avehicle, the device may be part of a machine, the device may beconnectable to any of the above or may be a small part of a largermobile arrangement.

In this specification, the position estimates provided by one or moredevices attached to personnel and/or vehicles or physical assets mayalso be referred to herein, for example, as “location estimates” or“tracking estimates.” A “track” or “path” or “trajectory” may comprise acollection of position estimates that may result from the use of thelocation data made available by a respective device or in some instancesa location estimate will be the output of the fusion of two or morelocation determination devices or techniques along with a respectiveerror determination of the fused location determination.

In one embodiment, the method uses exiting capabilities within smartphones or other devices in order to determine a devices' location withrespect to its location from a predetermined location or geographicalarea. It may be that there is more than one location determinationapplication/device in the smart phone and each one, is used in turn or acombination of them is used to determine the location, wherein theassociated known error of determination of each technique is used suchthat the most accurate location determination technique is used or acalculated combination of those errors is used.

The determination of the location of the device relies on the use of alocation determination technique usable by the device, wherein thelocation determination technique has a respective accuracy ofdetermination. The device knows its location but only within theaccuracy of the location determination technique and respective hardwareand other factors.

Various location determination techniques are available to a device buteach of them has different known accuracies. For example, GPS can haveaccuracy down to meters, in another example, WiFi based determinationaccuracy can be dependent on the signal strength at the time of thedetermination as well as other factors and may range from meters to tensof meters. The accuracy figure used can be conservative or mid-range orat an extreme, but as long as there is consistency of usage of the knownaccuracy criteria the method as described by embodiments herein can beused.

The technologies used for location determination of a device mayinclude, the Global Positioning System (GPS), sector (telephony basestation) position determination using for example IposDet (on CDMAnetworks), cellular tower (Cell ID) and Wi-Fi (802.11) access pointswhich rely on the transmission of unique identifiers and related knownlocation data to permit the triangulation of the receiving device. Theuse of hybrid technologies such as these can, by themselves, allow forposition determination despite the occasional unreliability of one ormore of them in different environmental and physical locations of thedevice.

It is a further application of the available features of a smart phoneor other mobile computing device that the location determination isassociated with a certain action that the device is to perform as aresult of the presence of the mobile device at a predetermined locationor within a region about the predetermined location such as can bedefined by a geo-fence.

The manner in which a device provides location can depend on thetechnology that is used to derive that location. There are numeroustechnologies for position determination and associated with eachtechnique there will be specific details of their accuracy. A locationis generally expressed using the WGS (world geodetic system) 84framework. This is used as a basis for expressing locations within GPSand all common smartphone platforms. Some location determinationquantification standards exist that do not fall under WGS 84 such asED50, ETRS89, GRS 80, NAD 83, DAVD88, SAD69, SRID and UTM. The use of astandard ensures that all manufacturers that design GPS devices and thatuse the output from such devices can readily generate GPS data that willbe accepted by users of that GPS data to add value to the locationdeterminations provided.

As for all real world systems there is error which needs to be accountedfor and accuracy is affected. By way of explanation, GPS error analysisexamines the sources of errors in GPS results and the expected size ofthose errors. GPS makes corrections for receiver clock errors and othereffects but there are still residual errors which are not alwayscorrected. Sources of error include signal arrival time measurements,numerical calculations, atmospheric effects, ephemeris and clock data,multipath signals, and natural and artificial interference. Themagnitude of the residual errors resulting from these sources isdependent on geometric dilution of precision. Thus when the term“location determination” is used the actual manner in which a locationis presented is wholly dependent on the location determination techniqueused to determine that location and that there will be a known accuracyof determination which itself may be dependent on the application of therespective technique to the circumstances of the determination and whichmay be applicable to the determination only at the time of thedetermination and updated with future determinations. For example, a GPSlocation determination can have a range of accuracies, mostly dependenton the number of satellites that are available from which to derive thelocation complicated by one or more of the errors noted above.

In the application of the method described in this specification thereis preferably use of a predetermined accuracy of location determinationassociated with each location determination technique available to thedevice and that accuracy is expressible as a distance + and − of boththe x and y co-ordinate about the determined location in the case of a2-dimensional assessment of the accuracy of the location determination,or as a distance + and − of the x, y and z (vertical) co-ordinate aboutthe determined location in the case of a 3-dimensional assessment of theaccuracy of the location determination, so that accuracy can be used inthe process of determining the possible path of the mobile device.

It is also preferable to apply a predetermined marginal distance when alocation determination is conducted by the mobile device; this is donewhen, in particular, the determined location is close to geo-fencedregion. It will be noted that the term geo-fenced region is used, sinceit is intended to apply in the case of a geo-fenced 2-dimensional areaand in the case of a geo-fenced 3-dimensional volume.

Thus, by way of example, if the location determination technique has anaccuracy when converted to a distance of +/−100 meters, then when alocation determination is made that indicates that the device is 100meters from a predetermined location or region, there is a chance thatthe device is actually already at the predetermined location or regionbecause the location determination could be out by the 100 meters due tothe inaccuracy of the location determination. The existence of an errorof location determination thus has the potential to over or underestimate the actual location of the mobile device but conversely thenhas the potential to indicate entry into a predetermined geo-fencedregion when it is not and to indicate entry into a predeterminedgeo-fenced region after it is clearly already within the region or insome cases has already passed the region as illustrated in a simpleexample in the Prior Art FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 depicts a pictorial representation of two location determinationsincluding error at times t₁ and t₂ in a 3-d coordinate system and apredetermined location having a 3-d geo-fenced region.

The representation of the location of the mobile device at times t₁ andt₂ is pictorial in that the respective possible location is pictoriallyrepresented by half a sphere, indicative of the error in determinationprovided by a geographic location technique assumed to be the same ineach of the x, y and z axes, thus the determined location at time t₁ inthe x axis is x₁+x_(e) where x_(e) is the error in the determination ofthe x value of the location, the same applying to the y and z axesrespectively.

So as to make this a more tangible value a latitude value of 34.9290° Swith an error of 0.00001 degrees is used. This error in latitudetranslates into about 11 meters and if the error in longitude is of thesame order then the error in longitude translates into about 9 meters.So the base of the sphere representation is not ideal in that the errorshape in the x-y plane is not a perfect circle but it would be difficultto visually tell the difference.

With respect to the vertical z axis determination a GPS locationdetermination of altitude is typically within 15 meters, but it is alsoknown to be 1.5 times the horizontal error specification, so in accordwith the example above the vertical error could be 16.5 meters using theworst of the latitude and longitude error values. Thus again the top ofthe spherical representation is not pictorially correct having a flatterrepresentation than should in fact be the case.

Also depicted in a geo-fenced region defined by a known location x₀, y₀and x₀ having a 3-d geo-fenced region of 50 m radius and 50 m in the z(vertical) component at the center of the 2 dimensional 50 meter radiuscircle thus defining a half-sphere geo-fence region having an origin atthe center of the 50 meter radius circle in the horizontal plane of thegeographic location on the surface of the earth.

It is therefore typical for the geo-fenced regions to be created largerin dimension than possibly required to ensure that the entry is morelikely to be indicted taking the inaccuracy of the mobile devicelocation determination, for example 100 to 500 meters about apredetermined geographic location with a geographic framework. However,that is not always an advantage, since, too large a geo-fenced regionand an action being triggered in a mobile device when the user is notlikely to be in a reasonable distance of the contact location within thecreated geo-fenced region, can be a disincentive to the users of thisfunction.

Furthermore, the perceived need for large geo-fenced regions can make itdifficult to manage multiple closely located contact points havingrespective geo-fenced regions which will thus overlap/intersect eachother.

Yet further the geo-fenced region is typically 2 dimensional involvingpredetermined latitudes and longitudes and is also the simplest ofshapes being rectangular of square, mainly due to the rectilinear shapeof buildings which lie generally central to the geo-fence region. Thuswhen dealing with passing walking and vehicular traffic the geo-fencedregion is a reasonable shape for its intended purpose. In the case of amulti-story shopping complex in which a store is located in an aboveground location it is not ideal that the geo-fenced region created in2-dimensions but all entries whether the user is on a completelydifferent floor, thus, as in now possibly in the arrangements describedherein, a 3-d representation of the geo-fenced region is more useful andcan be smaller if the techniques described herein are used to ensurethat even if the user passes through the predetermined geo-fenced regionthere will be a recognition that was the case.

Further the retrospective approach allows for the geo-fenced region tobe configured in very many forms and of any size, starting at a singlegeographical location (latitude, longitude) pair with or without analtitude value and including a region having any 2 dimensional shape orany 3 dimensional shape (e.g. hemi-spherical, spherical, cube, cone,barrel, cylinder, square and polygonal prism, pyramid, etc. truncatedversions of any 3 dimensional shape.

The term intersect is used to illustrate that the volume of a3-dimensional geo-fenced region has points within it that are common topoints within retrospective path created by the motion of the mobiledevice, while also illustrating that the same will apply when there arecommon points if the geo-fenced region is 2-dimensional in that thepictorial shapes representative of the respective areas intersect whenthere are common points (geographic values within the predeterminedgeo-graphic framework).

Thus, with the ability to determine intersection of a possible path witha predetermined geo-fenced region (which may be very small or as smallas it only needs to be), it then also becomes possible to have smallergeo-fenced regions than previously was the case. So as describedpreviously, in one extreme example, the geo-fenced region can be asingle point (x, y, and z) and in another extreme example a line ofpredetermined length, and the determination of an intersection can stillbe achieved even though the mobile device does not determine a locationwhich is coincident with the point or line. In the case of a line it maybe that the line acts like a boundary and crossing the boundary (whenlocation determination is such that geo-graphical location determinationincluding error and a surety factor (to be described in greater detaillater in the specification) indicates an intersection which persists toindicate that the mobile device has traversed from one side to the otherof the line) is used to trigger one or more events or consequences.

Thus in typical conditions, location updates are generated by the mobiledevice with a margin of error and as location updates are receivedsporadically, and geo-fences are usually of a substantial size (i.e. notsmaller than 5 meters in at least all directions) it is not possible todefine small and precise geo-fences (e.g. one centimeter wide andpossibly centimeters long, and also vertical if a 3 dimensional regionis involved), since it is not possible in any prior art arrangement toreliably determine if a device has travelled into such a small regionpartly because of the interval between geo-location of the movingdevice, partly because of the uncertainty of the geo-locationdetermination and whether there is an entry or no-entry determinationwith no margin for possible entry error. This problem becomesparticularly exacerbated if either the location update has a largemargin of error or if the device is travelling at a high speed,increasing the distance traveled between updates of intermittentlocation determination and thus increasing the likelihood that anintersection will occur even though the mobile path may physicallytraverse the geo-fenced region.

An example of the above issue is illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 a and 4 bwhere even despite the error in geo-location determination there is norecognition by the mobile device that it was in the geo-fence set up inthe region of the store at 36 on street 38, even though it passeddirectly by the store. The possible geo-location determination of themobile device is illustrated by the half sphere 30 at t₁ whichillustrates the determined location plus and minus the error (asdisclosed earlier in the specification) and a geo-location determinationat t₂ with its associated error illustrated by the half sphere 32, thegeo-fenced region of the store is represented by the half sphere 34 atthe store location 36 along the same street 38 the mobile devicetraversed. The geo-fenced region is virtual and thus does not includeany error.

The same situation would have occurred if the mobile device geo-locationand the geo-fence were in 2 dimensions and illustrated as circles on theground level depicted in FIG. 3, first about the mobile device at timest₁ and t₂ as well as the store location 36.

FIGS. 4a and 4b are used to illustrate the 3-dimensional aspect of theerror representation at t₁ and t₂ against the side-view of the height ofthe buildings in the street scape. This view is merely used topictorially illustrate the virtual shape of the region within which themobile device could actually be with respect to the geo-locationdetermined by the mobile device respectively at times t₁ and t₂.

FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 8 a, 8 b, and 8 c are illustrative of one approach todetermining the entry of the mobile device into a geo-fenced regiondespite the abovementioned issues and possibly others.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustration of the effect of assuming that the mobiledevice could possibly be in a location within the illustrated boundarybetween the times t₁ and t₂ using a 2 dimensional top view of arepresentation of a city scape.

FIG. 5 illustrates the effect of assuming that the mobile device couldpossibly be at any location between the times t₁ and t₂ and in thisembodiment that the possible location of the mobile device is coaxialwith a straight line between the geo-located locations at those timesand is illustrated as a circle that appears to translate across thesurface of the land leaving a path of possible locations. This isillustrated by the parallel dotted lines forming a path in 2 dimensionsalong the surface of the city scape. In practice since the illustrationis of a city scape it might be that the error or determination is largersince, if GPS is used, there may only be the minimum of satellites touse to make the location determination and thus the error ofdetermination will be greater than if the determination was made in anopen country environment.

In the 2 dimensional version illustrated this assumes the mobile devicetravelled along the same plane which for most locations on the surfaceof the earth is a reasonable approximation. In a 3-d version thestarting altitude and the finishing altitude are taken intoconsideration.

The determination of intersection thus becomes a mathematicaldetermination which may, but not necessarily so, and may include someassumptions regarding the geometry of the volumes representing thedetermined geo-location at each time and the respective error value forboth the latitude and longitude and the applicable the altitude.

It is noted that the error in altitude may be improved by fusion of thegeo-location technique with one or more other altitude determinations byother techniques, such as, pressure gauge, altimeter and other devicesand sensors or sensor information made available to the mobile devicelocally or from a then local source.

FIG. 6 depicts a volume between times t₁ and t₂ representing all thepossible locations of the mobile device within a predeterminedgeo-location framework in a 3 dimensional perspective view of arepresentation of a city scape.

Thus the volume shown in FIG. 6 between t₁ and t₂ represents all thepossible locations of the mobile device within a predeterminedgeo-location framework, e.g. WGS84. The volumetric representation ismost useful since it is clear that the possible location of the mobiledevice partially intersects with the geo-fenced region 34 about the shoplocation 36 on street 38.

The mathematical calculation that provides the same conclusion is alittle more difficult to illustrate. A simplified example is providedbelow:

The initial step requires the calculation of all of the planes tangentto the two spheres representing the possible location of a device in 3dspace taking into account the possible error of location determinationfor each location determined, at two distinct and sequential times. Theequation of the tangent plane to a sphere of radius r and centre at theorigin at latitude θ and longitude Ø is

x cos(θ)sin(Ø)+y sin(θ)sin(Ø)+z cos(Ø)=y ²

However it is necessary to ensure that we only take into account planesthat are tangent to both spheres and reject those not tangents to bothspheres. Once these planes described above are taken into account theregion defined between them can be described as having a cylindricalshape that may or may not have bases of varied size.

Alternatively if a straight travel path is not assumed it is possible toreplace the cylindrical shape with a single plain hyperboloid defined bythe formula

${\frac{x^{2}}{a^{2}} + \frac{y^{2}}{b^{2}} - \frac{z^{2}}{c^{2}}} = 1$

in a standard Cartesian coordinate system.

The determination of the possible travel path of a device within 3dimensional spaces will take the form of a composite solid as defined byboth spheres (or half spheres as the case may be) and the volume betweenthem along, in one embodiment, a straight connecting path representingthe possible location of the device in 3 dimensional space and thecylindrical shape or single plain hyperboloid area defined by the planestangent to both spheres (or half spheres as the case may be). A 3dimensional representation of this possible path is depicted in FIG. 14in this case by using fully spherical representations of the twolocation determinations at the beginning and end of the possible path ofthe mobile device.

In one example of a way in which to use geo-location data as determinedfor the mobile device, which can then use appropriate software todetermine the intersection according to the mathematics provided herein,the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) data output from aGPS chipset looks like the following in respect to the latitude andlongitude output:

37.818046 and 144.979757.

These values can be negative or positive between −180 and 180, inclusiveof all degrees and fractions of degrees.

The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) data output from GPSfrom a GPS chipset looks like the following in respect to the altitude:

+44.31 m above sea level. Please note that this output can also take ona negative value and reported to many decimal points.

The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) data output from GPSfrom a GPS chipset looks like the following in respect to the error orrespective measurements:

3.9 m possibly for each dimension measured. This output cannot benegative and can be reported to many decimal points and isrepresentative of a radius for lat/log and altitude.

To be able to decrease the size of (or use unusually shaped) geo-fencesand determine if a mobile device has entered an extremely preciselydefined geo-fence, it is necessary to eliminate or decrease the impactof intermittent location updates and large margins of error for eachlocation update of the mobile device.

To minimise the impact of these and other deficiencies of priorarrangements, the technique as described in a number of embodimentsherein includes, at every location update, an assumed travel pathbetween its last known location and current location and a determinationbased on the determined geo-location at those times, and of the possiblelocation of the mobile device within the known errors of thosedeterminations in two or more dimensions. Then a determination ofwhether this possible travel path and associated possible locationsassociated with the possible travel path, intersects to a sufficientdegree, either a predetermined geo-fenced region or a predeterminedgeo-fenced line length, the latter geo-fence shape only being possiblewhen the technique disclosed herein is used but which would not becontemplated with prior arrangements.

If a travel path is deemed to have intersected to a sufficient degree,that is a basis for indicating that a device has entered thepredetermined area or crossed a predetermined line, so and any actionsor communications associated with a device entering the predeterminedarea or crossing the predetermined line are then executed.

The matter of whether the intersection is to a sufficient degree is amatter of setting up the technique of determination to calculate theproportion of intersection, in the case of a 2 dimensional determinationthat would be a comparison of area of overlap, in the case of a 3-ddetermination that would be a comparison of common volume and in thecase of a geo-fence line the coincidence of one or more points along theline with one or more of the points in the possible travel path.

The further determination of what proportion is sufficient, is a matterhaving a number of considerations, including in no particular order, thesurety of the system to provide a working arrangement in the commercialenvironment of the application of the technique. Thus if theintersection were sufficient at a 10% proportion it might be that usersof the mobile application that implements aspects of the technique willbecome bothered by the interruption caused by the events or actionstriggered by that intersection, on the other hand the, entity that hascreated the geo-fenced region wants to maximise any and allintersections and thus wants the 10% proportion. The same could be saidfor any of the infinite values of proportion that can be determined.Another consideration is the relative area/volume of the geo-fencedregion and when it is very small then the proportion could be acceptablewhen it is small but for larger area/volumes of a geo-fenced region theproportion should be larger, say 40%.

It is also possible to adjust the degree of intersection because of thespeed of travel of the mobile device. The speed of the mobile devicebeing readily determined by calculation based on the locationdeterminations made at the respective times t₁ and t₂ or byextrapolation from prior location determinations or from accelerometerreadings, these and other ways of determining speed may be available tothe mobile device or using those features of the mobile but determinedin a server in communication with the mobile device.

There may be other influences on the setting of a degree of intersectionbased on the direction of travel of the mobile device, the time of day,the location, the date and many other factors used for various reasonssuch as the cost of determination, the accuracy of determination, theeconomic reason to make the determination (toll way entrancedetermination, etc.), and practical implementation reasons.

It is largely up to the entities and service provider (e.g., a systemadministrator) to set the proportion of intersection in what scenario,which will trigger a determination of entry to a geo-fenced region.

FIG. 7 depicts a volume between times t₁ and t₂ representing all thepossible locations of the mobile device within a predeterminedgeo-location framework wherein the associated error of determinationchanges between times t₁ and t₂. The change is graduated over themovement between the times t₁ and t₂ representing an approximation butsuch an approach is practical and more readily calculable.

FIGS. 8a, 8b and 8c depict a variety of 2 dimensional geo-fence regionshapes and by extension each of them can have a 3-d geo-fenced region byapplying a suitable altitude/vertical dimension which can extend fromevery one of the geo-fenced points in the 2 dimensional region or fromone or more of those points, thus the 3-d shape of a geo-fenced regionmay look very unusual but the entity creating the region will want tohave a choice of any suitable shape they deem appropriate in thecircumstance.

The translation of the geo-fenced region into an appropriate geo-fencedframework (e.g. the use of latitude, longitude and altitude within theWGS84 framework), if not defined, is a formulaic process. The format ofthe description of the geo-fenced region is usable in a mobile deviceand is in one embodiment transferred to the mobile device as part of theoperation of an appropriate application executing on the mobile device.It may be that the mobile device does not make the relevantdeterminations and they are performed by a server which has the capacityto receive a stream of location determinations from one or more mobiledevices and having knowledge of the various geo-fenced regions, performsthe determination of sufficient intersection. There are many ways toperform the techniques described and disclosed in this specification,all well within the skill of those skilled the relevant art, which isnot related to the technique itself but rather in the general computerprogramming, network and communications fields.

Determination of location has been described previously in thisspecification and can involve the mobile device using any number ofpossible location determination techniques (i.e. GPS, WiFi, Cell TowerTriangulation, inertial navigation, etc. and combinations thereof).Location updates received by the mobile device or a server via acommunications' capability between the mobile device and the server, arein one embodiment, expressed as a combination of a latitude andlongitude and, if being used, altitude coordinates and a time record ofthe update. The location data can also include an associated Margin ofError. These data are typical outputs of a GPS chipset the format ofwhich is also typically in accord to a known standard but this willdepend on the GPS chipset manufacturer.

The corresponding time records allow the records to be sortedchronologically if required. For each location update received, thedevice will first determine if the location is within a predeterminedgeo-fenced region. If the location update does fall within thepredetermined geo-fenced region—it will determine that the mobile devicehas entered the region and then perform actions associated with itsentry to the region, such as communications of the event to externalsystems, or log its entry internally in the memory of the mobile device.

With each location update stored, the device will associate the time atwhich the location determination was made. The mobile device willcontinue determining further locations. Every time a new location updateand margin of error is received, the mobile device or server which canalso be a repository of that data can also access the last storedlocation update and associated margin of error.

Whether it is the mobile device or the server, a possible travel pathfor the mobile device can be determined, in one embodiment according tothe following method, where the mobile device obtains the last knownlocation update and margin of error at the time it was determined, wherethe margin of error represents a possible location of the mobile deviceat that time t₁. The mobile device then obtains the current locationupdate and margin of error, where the margin of error represents apossible location of the mobile device at the time t₂ of that locationdetermination. The device or the server calculates an area, in the caseof 2-d, and a volume, in the case of 3-d, encompassing both possiblelocations of the mobile device and the area volume between the twopossible locations assuming that a straight line of travel is taken bythe mobile device, the straight line being between one possible locationof an update and the possible location of the second update. The area orvolume effectively radiates outwards from the straight line and is usedfor the purposes at hand regardless to whether the mobile deviceactually travelled in a straight line. In practice the travel willgenerally be in a straight line due to the frequency of the locationdeterminations regardless of the speed of travel.

FIGS. 6, 7, 81, 8 b, and 8 c attempt to illustrate the volume approachwherein the volume when projected over the surface representing theground is the area. However, the mobile or server only deal withmathematical representations of these shapes, and thus have the abilityof determining whether one or more of the points within the area orvolume intersect with the mathematically represented geo-fenced region.

FIG. 9 depicts data 158 including the output from a GPS chip 156representative of the location and error determination of the GPS chip156 (as described previously in the specification) useable by the mobiledevice or a remote server. FIG. 9 also depicts in functional block forman embodiment of some of the hardware used with in a mobile device toprovide communication external of the mobile device and locationdetermination.

The GPS chip 156 typically operates independently of the mobile deviceexcept to draw power and provide location determination output 158 ofthe form described previously in this specification and typically inaccord with standards so that the data can be used widely by mobiledevices and external servers for a great variety of applications. Thetime between location determinations is typically an automatic functionof the GPS chip settings from the factory and again in accord with theapplicable standard but in some cases timing and other characteristicscan be controlled (generally within factory set limitations) by the CPU152 of the mobile device. Each location determination data output 158generated by the GPS chip 156 is made available to the CPU and isprocessed and/or communicated to the memory 154 of the mobile device andthe communications hardware 150 of the mobile device for in somearrangements made available to one or more remote servers (as discussedpreviously in this specification).

The functional block diagram of this representation of the mobile deviceis representative of a well-known configuration and it is well withinthe skill of those in the art to configure the hardware andcomplementary software to provide the functionality described. Thesoftware that is used to determine the possible path of the mobiledevice and compare it with the predetermined geo-fenced region isoperable by the mobile device using the memory 154 to store theoperating software and for storage of temporary data created during thevarious calculations and comparisons, the CPU 152 to execute thatsoftware, or to manage the making available of the GPS data output viathe communications hardware to a remote server and the receipt back ofone or more data representative of an alert or notification or an actioninstruction or additional data associated with the action for use by themobile device. The visual output device (typically a text and imagedisplay device) receives one or more such data for providing an userinterface for display of related data and other elements of the mobiledevice include a touch sensitive input device (typically integrated withthe visual output device) to provide a user interface for receipt ofactions and data from the user of the mobile device and may also includevoice input from the user to a voice input device 164. The above assumesthat there is a human user of the mobile device but as described in thespecification the mobile device may be associated with any articleincluding by way of examples, a vehicle, which may or may not interactat a data level with the mobile device, but if so via an interfacebetween the article and the CPU (not shown).

FIG. 10 illustrates a path 1002 travelled by a mobile device as ittravels through geo-fences 1004 and 1006. As the mobile device travelsthe path 1002, the mobile device determines device position 1, deviceposition 2, device position 3, device position 4, device position 5, anddevice position 6. Device positions 1-6 do not intersect with geo-fence1004 or geo-fence 1006. However, to verify whether the mobile deviceentered a geo-fence, each time a device position is determined, themobile device or a server determines a potential path between thedetermined position (n) and the prior position (n−1).

FIG. 11 illustrates the determined potential paths between the devicepositions. Between device positions 1 and 2, path 1102 is determined.Between device positions 2 and 3, path 1104 is determined. Betweendevice positions 3 and 4, path 1106 is determined. Between devicepositions 4 and 5, path 1108 is determined. Between device positions 5and 6, path 1110 is determined.

A determination is made for each potential path as to whether thepotential path intersects with geo-fence 1004 or geo-fence 1006. In thisexample, a determination is made that travel path 1104 intersects withgeo-fence 1004 and that path 1110 intersects with geo-fence 1006.Further, based on the intersections a determination is made that themobile device entered geo-fences 1004 and 1006. These determination aremade by the mobile device or a server.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating a process of determining whethera mobile device pass through a predetermined area or across apredetermine line according to one embodiment. The mobile device stores1202 a predetermined area/line of a geo-fenced region and a percentagerequirement. The mobile devices receives 1204 a location update thatincludes a geo-location of the mobile device associated with a margin oferror. For example, the geo-location may be received from a geo-locationdetermination mechanism (e.g., a GPS chip) of the mobile device.

The mobile device stores 1206 the geo-location and margin of errorinternally. The mobile device determines 1208 if the geo-location iswithin the predetermined area of the geo-fenced region taking intoaccount the margin of error. If the geo-location is within thepredetermined area, the mobile device 1210 initiates actions associatedwith entry to the geo-fenced region (e.g., offer user of the mobiledevice a coupon or offer) and step 1204 is then repeated. If thegeo-location is not within the predetermined area, the mobile devicereceives 1212 an additional location update that includes an additionalgeo-location of the mobile device and an additional margin of error. Themobile device 1214 stores the additional geo-location and the additionalmargin of error.

The mobile device 1216 retrieves the previously stored geo-location andmargin of error. The mobile device determines 1218 a potential travelpath of the mobile device between the previously stored geo-location andthe additional geo-location using the margins of error. The mobiledevice determines 1220 whether the potential travel path intersects withthe predetermined area. If the travel path does not intersect with thepredetermined area, step 1204 is repeated. However, if the travel pathintersects with the predetermined area, the mobile device accesses 1222the percentage requirement and determines 1224 whether the travel pathintersects with the predetermined area an amount (e.g., a percentage)that exceeds the percentage requirement. If the amount does not exceedthe percentage requirement, step 1204 is repeated. However, if theamount exceeds the percentage requirement, the mobile device determines1226 that it entered the geo-fenced region and executes 1228 actionsassociated with entry to the geo-fenced region.

The predetermined percentage requirement is a matter of choice that maydepend on a number of factors that may include: the level of surety ofintersection that is going to satisfy the needs of the creator/user ofthe geo-fenced region. For example an intersection expressed as apercentage of 10% might be too little to be sure and which would meanthat the recipients of actions/messages/etc. that are initiated by thatintersection are a considered by them to be nuisance rather than anattractive force or useful to the recipient. A percentage of 40% mayreject too many possible recipients to make the geo-fence useful to thecreator/user of the geo-fenced region. A further consideration might bethat the shape of the geo-fenced region is so precise that any integervalue of percent (e.g., as low as 1%) is useful to both the creator/userand the recipient of the related action.

When the determination is made the mobile device entered the geo-fencedregion, the mobile device or a server will initiate any number ofactions that are associated with that entry determination. Thepossibility that the mobile device is able to deliver to the user of themobile device a pre-stored coupon, brochure, offer, etc. is merelylimited by the digital memory capacity of the mobile device that isavailable to store digital data representative of those things. Inanother arrangement the determination is made at a server which is bydefinition remote from the mobile device (not necessarily stationary)and which has the capacity to provide an indication of entry to therespective mobile device using one or more data communicationtechniques/protocols and equipment not only one or more of the thingsthat are the result of the determination of entry into the predeterminedgeo-fenced region.

FIG. 13 depicts a form of an indication displayed by a mobile device,for example, based on an indication of entry provided by the server.While FIG. 13 depicts a visual, on screen notification, notificationsprovided by the mobile device can take many forms. These can includevisual indicators such as flashing lights, audible indicators such as atone being played via inbuilt speakers, tactile indicators such asvibrations of the device and communicative indicators such ascommunications passed to secondary devices or systems.

There is really no limitation as to the type of actions that can beinitiated following, before or at the same time of the indication ofentry into the predetermined geo-fenced region and the following are anon-exclusive list of examples:

-   -   a. Decrement an account to charge the mobile device user for        entry to a toll-way, a concert, a museum, etc.    -   b. Record the entry of the mobile device to indicate the        location of the user of the mobile within the geo-fenced region,        for example, for security reasons, charging reasons, or safety        reasons. It may also be possible to use the mobile device to        confirm the identity of the user of the mobile device by using        identity determination input from the user.    -   c. Prompt the sending of a notification to the mobile device to        alert the user to; a danger; an offer of goods or services; to        provide a token of value; etc.

Thus the determination of entry into a predetermined geo-fenced regionis something that can be used to initiate one or more actions. Thedetermination of entry can be made by the mobile device or by a server.The mobile device or server that makes the determination of entry canprovide an indication of entry to a recipient in a form suitable for therecipient of the indication. Thus in the case of the mobile providingthe indication (e.g., to a server), it could be in the form of a digitaldata packet representative of a unique identifier of the mobile device,the unique identifier of the geo-location region, the time ofdetermination, and which may or may not include the destination addressfor that information. Thus in the case of a server providing theindication (e.g., to a mobile device), it could be of the form of asingle byte of data representative of the entry, which is recognized bythe respective mobile device. There are many forms of the indicationwhich will be unique to the particular mobile and server, the one ormore applications that will act on the indication, the environment ofthe geo-location region, the server type and its environment, and thechoices that a designer of such systems will make in effecting themethod disclosed herein.

The determination of entry or not to a geo-fenced region particularlywhen the region is a line or relatively small in volume compared to therespective application is thus possible where previously it was not,when using the technique disclosed herein. By implementing thetechniques disclosed in this specification, a mobile device would beable to determine to a predetermined degree when entry had been or isoccurring and this will greatly improve the location awareness of smartphones and similar devices and create the opportunity to createfunctions and use cases that were previously impossible.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for determining whether a mobile deviceentered a predetermined geo-fenced region, the mobile device having ageo-location determination mechanism, the mobile device having a digitaldata store for storing a predetermined geo-fenced region and apercentage entry requirement, the mobile device adapted to execute anaction associated with entry of the mobile device into the predeterminedgeo-fenced region, and the mobile device having a processor forperforming one or more receiving, storing, determining and executingsteps, the method comprising the steps: Receiving, by the mobile device,a first location update that includes a first geo-location of the mobiledevice associated with a first margin of error; Storing, by the mobiledevice, the received first geo-location and first margin of error;determining if the first geo-location is within the predeterminedgeo-fenced region allowing for the first margin of error; responsive toa determination that the first geo-location is not within thepredetermined geo-fenced region, receiving, by the processor of themobile device, a second location update that includes a secondgeo-location of the mobile device associated with a second margin oferror; storing by the mobile device the received second geo-location andthe second margin of error; retrieving the stored first geo-location andstored first margin of error: determining a retrospective travel pathtravelled by the mobile device between the stored first geo-location andthe stored second geo-location using the respective margins of error;determining whether the retrospective travel path intersects with thepredetermined geo-fenced region; responsive to a determination that theretrospective travel path intersects with the predetermined geo-fencedregion, retrieving the stored percentage requirement; determiningwhether an amount of intersection between the retrospective travel pathand the predetermined geo-fenced region exceeds the percentagerequirement; responsive to a determination that the intersection betweenthe retrospective travel path and the predetermined geo-fenced regionexceeds the percentage requirement, determining that the mobile deviceentered the predetermined geo-fenced region; and executing an actionassociated with entry into the predetermined geo-fenced region.
 2. Themethod for determining whether a mobile device entered a predeterminedgeo-fenced region according to claim 1, wherein the predeterminedpercentage requirement is determined based on one or more of a group offactors including: a level of surety associated with the predeterminedpercentage requirement, indicating whether a mobile device having aretrospective path intersecting the predetermined geo-fenced region bythe predetermined percentage requirement had entered the predeterminedgeo-fenced region; and a shape or size of the predetermined geo-fencedregion.
 3. The method for determining whether a mobile device entered apredetermined geo-fenced region according to claim 1, wherein when thedetermination is made that the mobile device entered the predeterminedgeo-fenced region, the executed action comprises to one or more of agroup, including: changing a value of an account associated with themobile device; recording an entry of the mobile device into thepredetermined geo-fenced region; and making available to the mobiledevice a pre-stored coupon, or a brochure, or an offer for a product ora service.
 4. The method for determining whether a mobile device entereda predetermined geo-fenced region according to claim 1, wherein when thedetermination is made that the mobile device entered the predeterminedgeo-fenced region the mobile device will initiate one or more actionsbased on one or more of a group, including making available to themobile device from a server a coupon, or a brochure, or an offer for aproduct or a service; and storage in the digital data memory store ofthe coupon, brochure, or offer.
 5. The method for determining whether amobile device entered a predetermined geo-fenced region according toclaim 1, wherein the first and second margins of error are different. 6.The method for determining whether a mobile device entered apredetermined geo-fenced region according to claim 1, wherein theretrospective travel path and the predetermined geo-fenced region eachcorresponding to respective 2-dimensional shapes, and wherein the amountof intersection corresponds to an area of overlap between the2-dimensional shapes.
 7. The method for determining whether a mobiledevice entered a predetermined geo-fenced region according to claim 1,wherein the retrospective travel path and the predetermined geo-fencedregion each corresponding to respective 3-dimensional volumes, andwherein the amount of intersection corresponds to a common volume of the3-dimensional volumes.